Device for disconnecting sash balance cables



P 4, 1955 D. J. DINSMORE 2,761,173

DEVICE FOR DISCONNECTING SASH BALANCE CABLES Filed Dec. 1, 1.952 2Shets-Sheet l Sept. 4, 1956 D. J. DINSMORE 2,761,173

DEVICE FOR DISCONNECTING SASH' BALANCE CABLES Filed Dec. 1,- 1952 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. flan Jan J Oinsmara errwsy United States Patent2,761,173 DEVICE FOR DISCONNECTING SASH BALANCE CABLES Dawson J.Dinsmore, Sioux Falls, S. Dak. Application December 1, 1952, Serial No.323,466 2 Claims. (Cl. 16-206) My invention relates to a removable sashcounterbalance.

An object of my invention is to provide a counterbalancing unit whichcan be readily attached. to a win dow sash on either side thereof, andwhich includes in combination therewith certain means whereby thecounter-balancing unit can be readily disengaged from the windowframework at any time when it is desired to remove the window sashitself for cleaning, or for any other purpose. a

A further object of my invention is to provide an arrangement in whichthe window sash can be raised and lowered in an entirely natural manner,and wherein by a simple manipulation, the counter-balance will becomedisengaged from the framework portions merely upon a simple raisingaction of the window sash itself.

A further object of my inventionis to provide a simple device whereinthe tension on the .countenbalancing arr-angement is quickly transferredto the disengaging arrangement upon said simple manipulatio A furtherobject of my invention is to provide a special device which can bereadily incorporated with spring-urged or any other special type ofjamb, and to further provide an arrangement which can be easily attachedat the four medial corners of a double-hung window construction, namely,the upper sash and the lower sash.

With these and other objects in view, consists in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby;the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated m the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a forward elevation of a window construction employing mydevice,

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a detail of my device andtaken substantially along the lines 22 of Figure 4,

Figure 3 is a similar view to that of Figure 2 showing one of the levermembers in off-set position,

Figure 4 is a view taken along the lines 44 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a further detail.

My invention contemplates the provision of a device which can be used incombination with window structures principally of the type utilizing aspring tension counterbalance used with floating types of jambs orsub-frames, and to provide means wherein the sashes can be convenientlyremoved from the frames and washed and thence replaced, or so that thesashes can be removed for any other required reason, such as repairingor the like.

I have used the character portion of a window frame, the two verticalsides, and the character 12 the lower horizontal portion. I have furtherused the character 13 to indicate the upper sash and the character 14the lower sash, with the sashes including the various furto indicate thehorizontal the character 11 indicating cifically herein, that four myinvention 15 and 16, and the vertical 18 to designate the so-calledfloating jambs against which abut a plurality of springs indicated bythe character 19, these springs thereby serving to impart resiliencyagainst the jam b portions 18 and thereby retain a frictional engagementagainst the side edges of the members 17, the members 18 including apair of channels 20 (see Figure 4), one of the channels receiving theupper sash and the other the lower sash. It will be obvious that thesprings 19 are evenly distributed along the vertical length of themembers 18.

To provide the counter-balancing action, I provide a casing member 21which is secured by means of a wood screw 22 within a suitable channel23 in the members 17, the members 21 including a transverse pin 24passing therethrough, which receives the loop 25 of a coiled helicalspring 26, the lower end of which spring is attached to a suitablecable, andwhich cable passes over a further sequence of rollers, thelower roller of which is indicated by the character 27, the cable, whichis indicated by the character 28, then passing through the slottedopening at 29 in the end wall 30 of the member 21, and thence passingupwardly.

The counter-balancing member 21 having the spring 26, etc. is fullydescribed in Patent No. 2,262,990, issued to myself and George C. Cross,and patented November 18, 1941, and it should bespecifically understoodhere in that the invention about to be described will also pertain to,and can be used with, any other type of spring counter-balancingarrangement, as will be obvious.

The lower end of the member 21 is secured in a similar manner by afurther screw 22, and .it will be noted from Figure 1 by the dottedlines that there is provided a counter-balancing unit 21 etc. in eachside sash portion 17 .of the upper and lower sashes, thereby providingmeans for disengaging any of the side members 17 from their receivingchannels, and it being realized that although only one counter-balancingunit is described specan be used as shown.

The end wall 30 of the member 21 is recessed slightly within the edge ofthe member 17, and received in the rectangular opening 31 of thefloating member 18 is a further substantially rectangular dished member32 hav- 1 ing the extending lips ,33 for securing the member 132,

and extending from the base portion 34 of the member 32 is the upwardlystruck inclined lip 35.

Normally receiving the lip 35 is the opening 36 which is provided at theupper end of a lever member 37, the lever member 37 including the pairof portions 38, the lower ends of which portions 38 are freely pivotedon the transverse pin 39. A further lever member indicated generally bythe character 40 includes the transverse strap portion 41 extending intothe side portions 42, which side portions are normally frictionallyengaged with the side portions 38, the lower terminals of the portions42 also being pivoted on the pin 39.

Also freely journalled on the pin 39 is a member 43 which extends intothe integral portion 44 to which is suitably secured as at 45 the upperterminal of the cable 28.

In the upper corner of the sash member I provide a recessed portion 46in which is attached by means of the screw 47 the member 48 having theangularly inclined lip 49, the lip 49 being tapered as shown in Figure5.

The arrangement operates as follows. Normally, when the lever members 37and 40 are frictionally engaged as shown in Figure 2, the tension willbe applied onto the cable 28 at all times, and the counter-balancingfeature will thereby be present during the raising and lowering of thesash.

However, when it is desired to remove any one of the cable and a windowframe in which said sash operates windows, each of the lever members 40at either side of the window is swung outwardly to the approximateposition shown in Figure 3. The sash is then raised in the direction ofthe arrow 50, whereupon the angularly in clined lip/59 will engagebeneath the transverse portion 41 of the lever 40 (see dotted lines,Figure 3) and whereupon continued'movement of the window in the samedirection Will then also cause the lever member 3'7 to pivot in thedirection of the arrow 51 due to the fact that the lower edge 52 of theopening 36 will abut against the inclined lip 35, so that as a result,the lever member 37 is disengaged from the lip 35, the tension of thecable 28 thence being transferred to the levers 40 at both sides of thesash. The window is then thrust laterally in the direction of the arrow53 as shown in Figure 1, or against the floating jamb members 18,whereupon the opposite side edge 17 of the window can be removed fromits channel, and the entire sash easily removed, since the latchinglever members will of course become completely disengaged from the lips35.

It will thus be noted that the device automatically transfers theattachment of the cable and the tension thereof from the side frame ofthe window to the sash itself, thereby accomplishing the desired result.

When re-inscrting the sashes, the openings 36 are engaged with the lips35 (after one side 17 is first thrust inwardly against its correspondingjarnb member and the other side 17 then inserted) and the lower sash,for instance, is then thrustdownwardly to its normal position, and thelever 40 is then frictionally engaged with the lever 37 by virtue of theside members 38 and 42, whereupon the sash is then in its normaloperating condition again.

It should be specifically understood that other types ofcounter-balancing units could be employed with my invention, it beingunderstood also that modifications in the unit for transferring thecable tension could also be made without, however, departing from theessential spirit of my invention.

It will now be seen that I have provided the various advantages setforth in the objects of my invention with various other advantages beingreadily apparent.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purposeof my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims anymodified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which maybe reasonably included within their scope.

Iclaim as my invention:

1. A connecting device for a window sash balance comprising a levermember, a further lever member, a pivot pin, said lever members beingpivoted about the said pivot pin, said lever members being normallyfrictionally engaged during normal movement of said sash, said levermembers being attached to said cable by means of said pivot pin, saidfurther lever member being adapted to attach said cable to said frame,said lever member being adapted to attach said cable to said sash,raising action of said sash engaging said lever member when said levermember is pivoted away from said further lever member, said sashincluding a lip attached thereto, said lever member having an opening.for engaging said lip whereby said cable attachment will be transferredfrom a window frame to said lever member and to said sash.

2. A connecting device for a window sash balance cable and a windowframe in which said sash operates comprising a lever member, a furtherlever member, a pivot pin, said lever members being pivoted about thesaid pivot pin, said lever members being normally frictionally engagedduring normal movement of said sash, said levers members being attachedto said cable by means of said'pivot pin, said further lever memberbeing adapted to attach said cable to said frame, said lever memberbeing adapted to attach said cable to said sash, raising action of saidsash engaging said lever member when said lever member is pivoted awayfrom said further lever member, said sash including a lip attachedthereto, said lever member having an opening for engaging said lipwhereby said cable attachment will be transferred from a window frame tosaid lever member and to said sash, said frame including a supportmember including an angularly inclined further lip, said further levermember having an opening normally receiving said further lip and beingdisengaged therefrom during upward movement of said sash due to theinclination of said further lip, the engagement between said supportmember and said further lever member being adapted to attach said cableto said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS656,320 Fisher Aug. 21, 1900 979,014 Lippincott Dec. 20, 1910 1,443,571Gardner et al. Jan. 30, 1923 2,203,427 Dautrick June 4, 1940 2,262,990Cross et a1. Nov. 18, 1941 2,279,600 Tappan Apr. 14, 1942

